risking hilife t keep vital products flowing >> announc: thiss "nbc nighy news" th lester holt. od eveng, everyone it is working. keep doing it. that's the message on this holiday weekend from authorities who fear americans lifted by encouraging headlines about the pace ocovid cases could drop their guard and send numbers soaragain. and to be very clear here, we are still deep in th woods with ameranare dying at blistering pace night as t worldwide total tops 100,000. agn, o team is fanned out t cover it all let's start with nbc's gabe gutierrez. reporter:he wave of ambulances in new york is less frequent the state announced fewer icu admissions and fewer deaths fm coronarus than the dabefore the most encouraging that t curve is flattening thgovernor ss it's to relax. want to kn i still

how this happened. because the warning signs were there. and if you don't know e answer, then how do you know it's not going to haen again >> reporter: the ndemic's death toll here in the nation's epicenter could be much higher. during the first five days of oplel, morthan100 wereronounced dead home or onhe strt. at's eht times as ma a nce ma were never tested, they're not inuded in the official count new yorkuthories are begging redents to keep soci distancing y not close the parks here much like l.a. did >> people have in place, but it's 8.6 llion people in a very sll space. and they have to he some outlet. >> reporter:e spoke one on one with mayor bill de blasio tod afr he toured a ne temporary hospital at the national tennis center, the te of the u.s. open this facility will have 500 beds will we need all them? >> what a blessing it

would be if we don't. >> reporter: hospitalizations are down and the health system is still stressed. >> it doesn't seem like it's slowing down. >> reporter: dr. earnest patty is in the bronx. >> let's hope we reach that plateau at some point soon or we flatten the curve. i'm hopeful. >> reporter: amy is hopeful. we spoke to her while her husband waited for a plasma transplant he didn't get one but recovering anyway. >> i feel blessed. it's amazing it's a miracle that he is here. we're so luckyo have you know, have a second chance. >>eporte still, thvirus is ravagi places like long land among the livelost there, all denise had come from the philippines to provide a better e banese w a44amily. fixture at this butcher shop in little italy. s family started the in the 192

luciano ferraro was a doormain manhattan and lod his family in peru. >> he nted us to feel good when we came home and so there was always a smile we wer le, h would see us walking on the street and he would run to open the door for us heasuch a good person. >> reporte tonight a moving tribute. volunteer firefighter and emt michael field died from the virus after rescuing a covid patient. for his service, a final solute gabe gutierrez, nbc news, new york. >> reporter: i'm miguel almaguer on this good friday of eastesunday, our nation has reason for optimism in adversity one month ago roughly americans tested positive for the coronavirus. today that number surges towards half a million our deh toll i climbingut social distancing saving lives. in the statef kentucky, lia donoe wathe first known coronavirus patient. >> i wld be gaspin for air. it felt like i was suffocating. >> reporter: donohue

spent nine days ochoen a ventilator and almost didn't make it to her 28th birda it's going to affect you >> repter: with pennsylvania at some 20,000 ces the white house is wored philelphia will become the next hospot the city of brotherly love a ost town this sports arena now a field hoital morgan radrd is philly. reporter: the numberf cases is expted to peak here ely next week. which why the natial guard is standing by and field hospitlike this one are no preparing to recei patients. >> repter: as th city of chicago braces for a peak in so much. been crying >>eporter: in chigannurses and doctorare keing video diarie chronicli their isne of as the state the hardest hit in the country. >> you see a lot of people who aren't that far off from my age. it's hard not to be scared.

>> reporter: this week detroit lost fire captain franklin williams a loving husband and father of seven. the man that raced into burning buildings died of complications from the virus. >> i called to check on him and i saw he was gone. i'm sorry. onof the worst things i ever had to experience. >> reporter: as heartbreaking imageshow americans flocking food banks overwheed and under stocked, tre is will ease fromhe very msures saving lives oakland is closing 74 miles of city streets so pedestrians can nrow sidewalks are one way for foot traffic to avoid bunching. >> y guyare rey to go. >> reporter: as the viru changes e way we live, older amanier cans are paying a deadly

toll nbc news is tracking nearly 2500 long-term care facilities in 36 states where cases have quintupled in ten days at least 2200 have died but amid so much heartbreak, there are also heart warming stories of survival. [ applause ] >> reporter: in south florida, staff lined the halls to say good-bye to carlos and doriela. the couple married for 45 years were discharged together after 19 days in the hospital leaving side by side holding hands as ey always do in south carina, another swee this one from luiz biel. >> everybody was so wonderful to me. >> reporter: the feisty 81-year-old beat the virus but couldn't do it alone. >> it's about to be easter so cayou ask for? she's here by god's grace and mercy. wonderfulp

>> reporter: tonight a reminder hope trumps fear miguel almaguer, nbc news tonight as we begin the easter weekend, religious leaders are pleading with their congregations to stay home the critical message being followed in most of the country but not everywhere here is stephanie gosk. >> reporter: the pews are empty, churches are qet easter weekend is supposedo be a time to congregate but tonight most congregationsre being told to stay home. health officia have warned gaeringsy ki o religious services are exception. >> i was in the hospital for 21 days and icu and olation. >> reporter: revend timothy d.c. just services in before he was hospitalized wit coronarus. nearly 400 of his this weekend, his sermons will be virtual. >> if anyone was to come to church and get the virus and die, then i think we would all feel really, really terrible >> reporter: some states have banned religious gatherings all together this month, there are important

jewish, muslim and christian holidays but in frida the governor remains unwaring. >> the state of florida isot governmentough coerci close >> rorter: some fying recommendations. in kansas ste reps overturned the governor's ban but many are taking steps to stay fe regardle of government mandate. in rome, the vican cancelled publics. nbc's matt bradley. >> reporter: this is the most at theant time of year vatican. you wouldn't know it around st. peter's square it is usually packed they are finng ways to reach out like streaming services the pope calls creativity of love. >> reporter: as an example, the archbishop of new orleans joining a rabbi to bless their city from the skies today. and for those who

worship from home this weekend, a simple message. >> you can take away the building, but you can't take away the church. >> reporter: stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. >> many health experts on a growing list of governors are warning the only safe way to reopen the economy is to test for exposure to the virus on a massive scale and that just one of three tools necessy but we are nowhere near that capality tom costello has more on the challenge ahead. >> reporter: from governorin virus hot zone tonight, alea for population wide testing as a condition to reopen the economy. >> we're going to have all rts of protections in place and have a lot more testing. >> we are particularly short on the test kits to be able to test for the virus. >> reporter: overnight fedex distributing half a million test kits on a military flight from italy. without a vaccine or treatment public health officials say there are three keys to reopen the economy. a diagnostic test to determine if someone currently has the

virus, 2.2 million so far. an anti body test to determine if somebody had it and therefore might have some immunity and contact tracing, to identify anybody who had contact with somebody who is infected but so far, less than 1% of the population has been tested today, new york governor cuomo called on the trump administraon to ad the effort. >> we need an unprecedented mobilization where government can produce these tests in the millions. >> rorter: the present anxious to get americans ba to work was asked today who metrs here. >>ight here. that's all i can do. >> rorter: mr. trump insisting he'll follow expert advice although wide spread testing doesn't have to a precondition should america have to decide between staying healthy and going back to work >> think we're going to do bo we're going to go back work and stay healthy we're going toest. you don'need to test 325 to 350 million people.

>> reporter: healt infection rates coul i'll continue to as i always have to give my honest assessment of the scntific data that'the evidence i base my judgments o >> reporter: dr. fauci and others need a ad on national infection something they don't have helping with that and apple teaming up touild phone software that would alert people that recently had contact with someonenfected hoping t save critical time the present says next week he ll convene new counsel, mprised of busines leaders d doctors. focus on drafting a timeline to get the economy opened again lester >> all right tom costello, thanks we'll be back in 60 seconds with

a growing alm inside erica's food industry and new concerns about a secondave in countries that thought they were past the worst of the cris.

there are growing concerns tonight at some of the nation's meat and poultry plants some employees are working in questionable conditions to keep food on american family's tables more on that from blayne alexander. >> reporter: tonight, workers in some meat plants are raising the alarm. civil rights group says these stunning images of workers crowded together were taken inside the jbs por plt marshall town, iowa late last month. trump eks after the adminiration announced social distancing guidelines. >>he are ticng time bomb >> reporter: at the jbs beef procsing plant in nebraska, at least 28 confirmed cases of covid-19 eddie diaz just got his results today. he's positive. >> i'm concerned about my health, about my family. >>eporr: he says cleaning job but e doing a good do you believe people

are following social distancing guidelines >> i don't think people are taking this seriously. >> reporter: tonight, in a statement, the company tells nbc news it's adopted enhanced safety measures like staggering shifts and increased sanitation union employees working for a variety of companies how many workers have been reaching out to you with concerns >> every facility. they are fearful of taking this home to their family. ese eporter: se of workers at this tyson georgiwhere four employs covid-19d from some empyees describe to nbc news having to work shoulder to shoulder on the ne tonight tyson says it's heart broken over the deat and will close the plant for deep >> we've relaxed tendance policies to make sure employees feelncouraged to stay home if they don't feel well. >> reporter: t company sent showing ctures inside partitions between some workers. >> some companies have put meures in plac are those measures enough

>> i don't think they are. if we can protect workers from when they walk in e door a when they walk out, that comny has done what they need to do. >> reporter: blayne alexander, nbc news, atlanta. >> what could be a cautionary tale for this country, there are fears of another surge in the pandemic richard engel reports tonight on the battle to stop a second wave. >> reporter: deaths in the u.k. are spiking now. approaching 1,000 a day as high as italy and spain at their peak and in a troubling sign for the future, the virus is reemerging in parts of asia where it started and was largely beaten distancing measus were relaxed. last february inong kong, i first met dr. alfred wong. i recently caught up with him again. what happens if you stop paying attention to this? >> in hong kong, the second wave is actually even bigger than the

first wave people starting to walk in the streets without any protective measures. >> reporter: the same in singapore where earlier this year i met virologist. >> numbers went down when containment measures were put in place. now we have with other countries have been locking down, people want to return back this their home country or place of work, so those people are coming from different epicenters of infection. so now along with their suitcase they are bringing the virus become with them. >> reporter: so for now, europe isn't letting up countries are lockdowns and flights have been grounded flight tracker at 9:00 a.m. local showed a hand full of planes overall of spain. italy and france across the ocean in the united states at 9:00 a.m. eastern, a very different picture. richard engel, nbc news. >> you can see more of richard's reporting sunday night at 9:00 on msnbc.

up next a veteran on the road with a vital new mission during this pandemic i want you to meet an heroican . every package arriving at

every package arriving at your doorstep is a reminder that vital parts of this economy are still rolling and literally in the driver's seats some american heroes who are going the extra mile out on america roads

tonight, trucke like james rogers who is hauling critical supplies, illinois to salt lake city you'reupporting your untry. how does that feel that's the reason got back into the trucking dustry. >> reporter: an my veten in necall to servhanistan soldiers we're the when the country thisapned when it all cked off, we as drivers re there this is home on the road here. >> reporter: with his dog rgeant by s side, james driving over 130 les in less whilee's s. slping, gog to be spaghetti for me. >> reporter: with many places cled, james eats and sleeps in his truck. >> checkhis out. tting for bad it's >> reporter: staying healthy is constantly on s mind. >> we can't find gloves we can't find masks.

we can't find lysol. we're having to makeshift and adopt to it. >> reporter: how is your family doing on the road? >> very supportive mitold my wife i'm not home until it's over at home, amall child grandchild at home i don't want to bring it home to my wife. >> reporte when we go to the stes and see this shelf empty, we get anxious what's your message to the american people? >> my message to t people we're ving as fast as we can but trying to beafe about . >> reporter: like acss america, 's ready go the distance a maon a new mission. >> this is what personally i'm built for and i would ha it no other way. when t country calls, i'm there. >> james tells me some states revised weight restrictions lowing truckers to move more producduring this emergency. we'll take a eak, up next, in this difficult time reflections we could all use on finding the light.

and finally as we reach the end of another difficult week together, reasons to hope here is harry smith. ♪ >> reporter: darkness and light. we have been witnessed to its most extreme expressions for the last three weeks en our ali to suffering beginso faer, it seems anher acof goodness or out ght heroism no matter our faith or

belief system e evence othose who put others above themselv touches our souls. and ides the light without which we would be st rry smith, n news, new york. >> well id, harry. that i"nightly news." i'm lester holt. pleasee

we're all doing our part by staying at home. that could mean an increase in energy bills. you can save by setting your heat to 68 or lower... unplugging and turning off devices when not in use... or just letting the sun light your home. stay well and keep it golden. step by step, we're going to figure this out. we're gonna find a way through this. we're working really, really hard in hospitals, our nurses, our techs, all the docs. it's about staggering when people get sick so that the hospitals can cope. we're gonna go through an awful lot of these. all across puget sound, people have been stepping up and donating personal protective equipment. we sta just know we're all with you.

thank you, thank you so much. thank you doctors & nurses. eveso we can stillg a answer your calls. now. and we are monitoring our system 24/7 to ensure that we have a fast reliable network, keep the customers connected, and making sure people are staying safe. and we're still on the road. solving critical issues as they arise. ♪ go to xfinity.com/prepare. thank you.

♪ red: how long has it been since we lost contact with the driver? 18 hours. any chance we will find the cargo intact? that would take incredible luck. and the only time i have ever been lucky in alaska was when i was bumped from behind at an ice bar in fairbanks. i stumbled into the arms of a lovely nordic princess. literally, she was a princess in norway.